Reform and French Intervention, 1855-67

The Revolution of Ayutla and the Reform Laws

The Mexican reform movement was inspired by the liberal political
philosophies of European intellectuals, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
John Stuart Mill, and Pierre Joseph Proudhon. Their views were adopted
by a group of Mexican intellectuals who shared a strong commitment to
moralize Mexican politics. The most outstanding member of the group was
Benito Juárez, a Zapotec lawyer and politician. Juárez and his cohorts
went into exile in Louisiana, where they drew up the Plan of Ayutla in
1854 for the overthrow of Santa Anna. As the plan gained broad-based
support, the conspirators began to return to Mexico. In August 1855, in
response to growing opposition, Santa Anna resigned for the last time.

A provisional government was installed under Juan Ruiz de Álvarez
and the intellectuals of Ayutla; the ensuing period of liberal rule came
to be known as the Reform. The Reform was touted as a Mexican version of
the French Revolution. Several laws, known collectively as the Reform
Laws, abolished the fueros , curtailed ecclesiastical property
holdings, introduced a civil registry, and prohibited the church from
charging exorbitant fees for administering the sacraments.

The Reform Laws polarized Mexican society along pro- and anticlerical
lines at a time when delegates were preparing the constitution of 1857,
as provided for in the Plan of Ayutla. The new constitution was derived
from that of 1824, but it reflected a more liberal vision of society
through its incorporation of the Reform Laws. It reaffirmed the
abolition of slavery, secularized education, and guaranteed basic civil
liberties for all Mexicans. Both the Reform Laws and the constitution,
however, divided the political classes and set the stage for a civil
war.